Professor Bryan Sykes - Genetics as HistoryPete Hodgson, the Minister for Research, Science and Technology, can trace a direct line of maternal descent back to a woman who lived in Syria about 10,000 years ago, according to results just announced by the Royal Society of New Zealand.. Press Release: The Royal Society of New Zealand, October 24, 2003.

Online access to Scots willsThe final wills and testaments of some of Scotland's most famous and influential figures have been made available online for the first time.. BBC News (UK), October 23, 2003.

Marker to be placed at grave of soldierMarty Meek has located what he believes to be the gravesite of his great-great-grandfather, Sidney Martin Meeks, a civil war veteran. The Meeks family is planning a dedication ceremony to recognize and commemorate their ancestor. Cleburne News (AL), October 17, 2003.

Library dedication setThe new library for Prescott and Nevada County, Arkansas is about to open. The new facilities genealogy department will have state-of-the equipment, more computers for the public to use and a children's area. Nevada County Picayune (AR), October 15, 2003.

For the recordAlice Henneberry, an officer in the Erie Society for Genealogical Research, has been working on her family history for decades. Erie Times-News (PA), October 12, 2003.

Roland Bailey To Receive AwardThe Woolwich Historical Society (Maine) announced this week that Roland Bailey has been selected as the organization's first recipient of the Distinguished Service Award. Bailey is renowned for his encyclopedic knowledge of the genealogy of Woolwich families and for his willingness to share it with others. Wiscasset Newspaper (ME), October 9, 2003.

City council OKs more cash for turning old armory into museumAthens, Ohio City Council voted Monday to appropriate $2,500 more to help the Athens County Historical Society and Museum fund a design proposal for transforming the armory building into a museum and genealogical library. The Athens News (OH), October 9, 2003.

Stadium is first stepAlong with the stadium plans, Liverpool Football Club bosses are handing in proposals for the renovation of Stanley Park, including the neighbouring Anfield Cemetery, and a ground-breaking genealogy centre. Liverpool Echo (UK), October 8, 2003.

Reunion brings common groundDescendants of a white slave owner and his African-American slaves gathered yesterday to learn more about their shared past as Friersons, which came about because slaves often took the name of the landowner. The Tennessean (TN), October 8, 2003.

Heart StudyWorld-renown study began as a high school project, when students were given forms to fill out about family history. Bogalusa Daily News (LA), October 8, 2003.

Society nurtures Holt County historyA good chunk of history was lost in the fire of the museum in 1994, but the Holt County Historical Society continues to seek out and collect documents and artifacts that detail the county’s history. St. Joseph News Press (MO), October 4, 2003.

History center offers insight into ancestorsMore than 40 events are scheduled throughout family history month at the Michigan Library and Historical Center, most of them free. Lansing State Journal (MI), October 3, 2003.

Fair helps trace rootsChicago Archives Fair will be hosted by the South Suburban Genealogical and Historical Society from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the society's new location, 3000 W. 170th Place, Hazel Crest. The Times (Munster, IN), October 16, 2003.

A Happy Mother-Daughter ReunionTroy Dunn, the chief reunion officer for Myfamily.com, says, “Our number one technique for finding lost family members is actually to do genealogy.” CBS News (USA), September 30, 2003.